The Candlepark Stars - Take Care And Safe Home (Album Review)
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Wednesday, 08 August 2012 |
Written by Jonathan Lin
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All things have their beginnings, big or small. Equally important are conclusions, and there is no feeling that can really replace the experience of heading home at the end of a journey. The Candlepark Stars has created an album that can be seen as trying to capture this concluding phase, the sixth and latest addition to its music overall discography. In particular, 'Take Care And Safe Home' can be seen as the third and final act of a 3-album arc that continues the themes from the artist's previous two records, in the words of the man behind the wheel Kerry Muzzey.
 The newest album doesn't tell you where home ought to be, leaving listeners to decide whether they agree with the writer Nabokov that "man always finds home in one's past", or if home is something just beyond the cusp of the horizon. One can be approaching a sunset and still experience the upbeat enthusiasm, with tracks like 'The Best Day Of My Life' and 'Prom King' layering rich reverb that hint at an upcoming celebration. One can also find solace in a much different musical environment such as 'Glory Days,' which provides a slower yet stronger voice in the lead instrument, capturing the return to a familiar place of comfort. We shouldn't forget the powerful opener to the album either, the well-controlled 'Take Care And Safe Home' that starts gently with single echoing notes that build into a grand symphonic uproar, before returning to the quiet yet meaningful meandering that the song began with.
'Take Care And Safe Home' shines the most on its longer tracks - specifically those longer than the 5-6 minute mark - which is both an obvious strength and shortcoming. Listeners may view the four tracks after the first as fillers, especially given the piano version of 'Glory Days.' That being said, the meatier songs of the album's second half are a real treat. 'You Are Gold' can be played alongside radiant images of a wedding, birthday, or an evening walk in the park with the kids. The familiar guitar echoes and layering of strings are back, giving even greater emphasis to the soft and distinct xylophone percussion and piano. To witness how much the voice of an electric guitar can tell, look no further than 'We Are All Stars' and recall or imagine nights of stargazing and pondering the cosmos. There is that distinct comfort of returning home in allowing your thoughts to wander, and these longer tracks provide quite the soundtrack for such subconscious slippage.
'We Found Love' is easily a top contender for the best track of the album. The repetitive nature of its dominant riff is both memorable and includes suitable and subtle variations throughout, making the eight and a half minute track a journey in itself. The magic lies in its tone that hints at hope without slipping into sheer celebration, often returning to its simple yet rich musical center that really defines the multifaceted return-trip home: comfort with some nostalgia; mental surrender with still some reflection on the completed journey.
In the same manner, 'Take Care And Safe Home' ends a thread of ideas and emotions maintained through multiple albums. There is the faint trace of sadness that the experience must conclude, but not without an eye on the bumpy moments and delights of that journey, and not without thoughts of what the next trip will look like. For The Candlepark Stars, it seems safe to say that the next musical endeavor will be free to explore any number of possibilities. Such a direction will undoubtedly remember how it feels to come home safely, and how to musically transport listeners back into that same personal experience.
You can read a recent Stereoboard interview with The Candlepark Stars here.
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